The research team tested blood collected from ‘case’ turtles at two coastal locations – Cleveland Bay and Upstart Bay – and compared these to ‘control’ turtles from the remote Howick group of islands which are far-removed from human sources.

“We found turtles from the two coastal areas recorded a long list of chemicals associated with human activities, including medication to treat gout, kidney stones and heart problems,” Dr Heffernan said.

“We also found the turtles had ingested chemicals used in industrial products such as adhesive, sealant and lubricant.

“The harmful health effects these chemicals have had on the turtles is distressing with biomarkers indicating inflammation and liver dysfunction.”

This is the first study to link the external environmental and internal chemical exposure in the turtles by using a non-target screening technique, a cutting-edge, unbiased analytical approach.